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AROUND THE GREENS: Orders rolling in for contactless cup contraption

Author of the article:

Wes Gilbertson

Publishing date:

May 18, 2020 • 4 minute read

Several Calgary-area courses are using The Cup Caddie — a contactless contraption to retrieve your ball from the hole — to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Supplied photoSupplied photo/ Supplied photo

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Beda is the creator of The Cup Caddie, a contactless contraption that allows golfers to use the business end of their putter to hoist their ball out of the hole.

“We have about 15 golf courses that have had orders filled and we have quite a backlog. There’s a lineup out the door,” said Beda, a Cochrane-based entrepreneur. “We have all of our manufacturing equipment spinning 24 hours a day. I’m running three shifts.

“We only came up with the concept about two-and-a-half weeks ago. So the fact we can mass-manufacture this right now, it’s pretty awesome. We’re going to keep those wheels spinning, keep producing.”

The owner of NineDesigns.net, Beda had developed several customized products for Play Golf Calgary before he was approached about tackling this latest project.

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While the pool noodle works fine, The Cup Caddie doesn’t deny the satisfaction of seeing your ball disappear below ground level and also prevents any debate about whether a fast-paced putt to halve the match actually would have dropped.

Think of it like an elevator — you simply use the head of your flat-stick to lift upward on a rubberized handle and eventually pop your lucky Titleist out of the hole. You only touch your own putter grip and golf ball, doing your part to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The Cup Caddie is now in use at all four Play Golf Calgary facilities, while several other local courses have placed an order.

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They’ve made some changes on the fly to improve the durability of the product. As long as it holds up, it’s not far-fetched to think this handy gadget could become a permanent fixture at your favourite track.

“We were looking for ways to put our manufacturing to good use,” Beda explained. “We manufactured and helped with some medical equipment for COVID and when that supply was filled up really well in Alberta, we turned our attention back to fun — how do we get these golf courses going and how do we all get out and get some fresh air and some more mental and physical health?

“When it came to getting the ball out of that common space known as the hole, we knew we had to come up with some solution. There are a number of different lift products out there, but none of them meet the criteria that we were looking for. We wanted to respect the cup dimensions, as the rule defines. We wanted a device that we easy to install without taking the flag apart. We wanted something that wasn’t going to scratch the flag but more importantly, it wasn’t going to scratch our clients’ putters. And we wanted something that was obvious and easy to use. That’s where we came up with The Cup Caddie.

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“There’s nothing like it out there. We’re hoping people are going to love it.”

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Shortly after Premier Jason Kenney announced that Albertans could hit the links, Muirfield Lakes member Dean Horning noticed a comment on Twitter from a woman who welcomed the news but admitted her husband couldn’t afford to tee it up after losing his job.

For Horning, that sparked an idea.

He has helped to spearhead the ‘Golfers Helping Golfers’ initiative at his home club in Lyalta, with members donating rounds for those who are struggling with the financial hardships of the economic plummet and the COVID-19 pandemic. For every two rounds covered by the membership, the new owners of the rural track — located about a 25-minute drive east of the city — will add another.

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Seventy-plus rounds have already been donated. That’s three hours worth of tee-times.

If you know someone who is struggling financially and deserves a complimentary day on the course, reach out to Muirfield Lakes by email or via social media.

HAVE YOU PLAYED?

Standing on the elevated first tee Saturday at Wintergreen, a buddy suggested that it has to be the most challenging opening shot anywhere in Alberta.

No arguments from me.

There’s water along the left side the landing area.

There are tall stacks of trees on the right.

There’s a good chance you’ve been rummaging through your bag for your oldest and most scuffed-up ball … You know, just in case.

There is also no better feeling than splitting that skinny fairway with your first swing of the day, and this rolling layout — located at the base of a former ski hill just outside Bragg Creek — is high on fun factor from start to finish. While the opener has a more intimidating tee-shot, a birdie next-door on No. 9 is an especially impressive feat.

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